Vehicle weighing systems, bunker or bin weighing systems or similar heavy load weighing devices generally use load cells in a measuring range of, for example 0.1 to 10 MN. After installation of the load cells into the systems they are calibrated and periodically checked for proper function. Up to now, it was necessary to load these weighing systems with very large calibrating or test masses of widely varying sizes. For example, a truck was put onto the platform of a vehicle weighing system to be calibrated, the truck having an exactly defined mass. Then, the truck was removed from the platform and loaded with a pre-determined calibration mass and put onto the platform again. This procedure was performed repeatedly, as many as twenty times with the truck being loaded with different calibration masses or standards each time.
Furthermore, it has been proposed to use for calibrating or testing heaving load weighing systems a calibrating or testing device provided with an exactly calibrated load cell. In view of the inherent creepage in the engaging connection between the weighing system and the calibrating or testing device the force applied to the weighing system does not remain constant. Thus, the accuracy of the calibrating or testing is rather low.